HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING: Waynesboro, G-A send three to semis at Hub Cup tournament

The Waynesboro Indians wrestling team traveled south of the Mason-Dixon Line to compete once again in the annual Hub Cup Wrestling Tournament at North Hagerstown High School.

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Waynesboro Record Herald - Waynesboro, PA

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Posted Jan. 12, 2013 at 6:36 AM
Updated Jan 12, 2013 at 6:37 AM

Posted Jan. 12, 2013 at 6:36 AM
Updated Jan 12, 2013 at 6:37 AM

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Waynesboro Indians wrestling team traveled south of the Mason-Dixon Line to compete once again in the annual Hub Cup Wrestling Tournament at North Hagerstown High School.

Gone is the luster of several years ago when the Tribe won the tournament in back-to-back seasons, placing seven in the finals in the 2010 classic with five others earning placement medals.

But if Waynesboro — which had eight placewinners a year ago — hopes to achieve its goal of finishing in the top five in the team standings, it needs to get to work today as the consolation bracket kicks into high gear and the championship semifinals and finals also take place.

Last year, the Indians placed third in the tournament with 165 points. Waynesboro ended up in eighth place following the first day with 48 points. Catoctin is first with 71.5. The good news for the Tribe is that the team also started the second day of the 2012 tournament in eighth place and jumped five spots to end up in third place.

Three wrestlers each from Waynesboro and Greencastle-Antrim carry the torch for their respective teams heading into today’s second day.

— For the Indians, Aaron Layman (120), Kenyon Cuka (138) and Jesse Smith (145) are moving on to the semifinals.

Smith, seeded sixth despite winning the 145-pound weight class a year ago, grinded out a 4-3 decision against Mountain Ridge’s Nick Shifflett in the quarterfinals. Smith will face Patrick Gulliday of Catoctin in the semifinals.

Smith would have been in line to take on G-A’s Ryan Wolf, but Wolf lost in the quarterfinals and will wrestle back today.

“I knew it was going to be a scrap,” Smith said of his quarterfinal match, in which he scored a clutch takedown in the third period to extend the lead from 2-1 to 4-1. “He was 14-1 and seeded above me.”

Smith pinned Quince Orchard’s Luke McNight in 2:19 in a first-round match earlier in the evening.

“I’m just taking it one match at a time,” Smith said. “I just try to wrestle my style. I like to stay on my feet a lot and work ties. (Shifflett) was trying to throw legs in. I don’t even remember how I got the last takedown, because I’m so into the match.”

Layman, who placed fifth at last year’s Hub Cup at 106 pounds, needed overtime to defeat South Carroll’s Shane Conners, 4-2. Conners scored a late point on a stalling infraction to force the extra period, but Layman was the aggressor in the one-minute overtime stanza and moved in for a low takedown to win the match.

Page 2 of 2 - “Aaron gutted it out again,” said Waynesboro head coach Eric Mowen. “He’s a grinder. He did what he had to do in overtime to win.

Layman earned a 12-0 major decision in the first round. He will face Kyle Bollinger of Quince Orchard in today’s semifinals.

Cuka, who was fifth at last year’s tournament, won by injury default in his quarterfinal match and pinned Carlo Bustos of Quince Orchard in the first round. Cuka will wrestle Sinjin Shoop of Williamsport in the semis.

Carbaugh, a runnerup last year at 106 pounds, was methodical in advancing to the semifinals. The senior pinned both opponents and will face Cody Matthews of Mountain Ridge in the semifinals.

Binkley, who along with Carbaugh make a formidable one-two punch in the lower weights, only had to wrestle one match Friday. He received a first-round bye, then pinned Tom Boldosser of South Carroll in 1:24 in the quarterfinals. He will square off against Nick Miller of Williamsport in the semifinals.

Finally, Starliper mimicked Carbaugh’s path to the semifinals, recording back-to-back pins, including a 30-second fall in the first round. Starliper will face Amont Hawkins of North Hagerstown in the semifinals.